Science is getting a free ride in Antarctica!
Thanks to some good luck and dedication, Lucie Knor (GEOMAR) was able to take advantage of an exciting opportunity that involved a mad-dash to the Falkland Islands just in the nick of time to install the OceanPackTM RACE instrument on a ship of opportunity.
The Hans Hansson is a tourist, expedition yacht, a converted rescue boat, specifically built to withstand challenging weather. She has a capacity for 12 passengers and her tour covers approximately 600 nautical miles, from King George Island in the South Shetlands down to the Lemaire Strait. She is operated by 60 South who have a history of hosting scientists and researchers, and offering citizen science activities for their passengers. Equipping vessels like the Hans Hansson with our instruments on their planned tourist cruises has the potential for ongoing CO2 measurements in the under-observed Antarctic region, and enables TRICUSO to meet its objective of expanding observation via non-traditional platforms.
How does it work?
The OceanPackTM RACE model that is being used in the Hans Hansson, built by our partner SubCtech, was designed for racing yachts. It is compact, lightweight, durable and it works autonomously around the clock. It is connected to tubes that pump seawater into the system. The water flows over a membrane that doesn’t let through water but does let through CO2, so the air behind the membrane equilibrates with the seawater as the CO2 passes through. A highly sensitive infrared detector reads the amount of CO2 in the air.
Within the instrument there is also a CTD and an optode, so in addition to CO2, the instrument is measuring temperature, salinity, and oxygen in the water. For the Hans Hansson trial, there is a GPS with a real-time data transfer set up, enabling the team to track and monitor the instrument’s performance.
How were the logistics managed?
There was a very short period of time to plan for this opportunity and shipping to this remote region is always a challenge. In this case, Lucie travelled to the Falkland Islands, taking the instrument as luggage to keep airport transfers and rough handling to a minimum.
Lucie and the OceanPackTM first travelled from Germany to England, and then flew on an Royal Airforce military flight to the Falkland Islands, with a quick refueling stop at Ascension Island. Lucie remarked that, “making this happen required a lot of planning and a lot of quick adaptations, so I’m really happy we got the instrument here safe and sound”.
A very special thanks to 60 South for their participation in this important trial, their generosity, and their commitment to science.
We are looking forward to updates on this trial and we hope the Hans Hansson is only the first in a potential fleet of ships of opportunity providing TRICUSO, and the wider scientific community, much needed data in support of climate science.
Great News: pCO2 data from Hans Hansson is live on the Beluga portal – follow the journey here.
